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09 Horizontal Alignments and Curves-I

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34 views19 pages

09 Horizontal Alignments and Curves-I

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amandakosina92
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Horizontal Alignments and Curves

Introduction

• Horizontal alignment – Baseline


• Plan view
• Straight tangents
• Horizontal curves
– Circular
– Spiral
Gainesville – 39 Avenue
th
• Deflection Angles
Tangents
• Stationing
• We can now quantify distance and direction through the
entirety of the route
Tangents and Curves

• PC = Point of Curvature
• PT = Point of Tangency
Circular Curve Configurations
• Circular curves can be configured as simple, compound,
broken-back, or reverse
• Simple circular curves connect two tangents
• Compound curves allow progressively changing radii
(common for off-ramps)
• Broken-back and reverse curves are used in low speed
situations (residential streets, etc.)
Degree of Curve

• The sharpness of a curve can be designated by radius or degree


of curve
• Degree of curve is a measure of change of direction per unit
length
• A smaller radius gives a sharper curve
• Conversely, a larger degree of curve results in a sharper curve
Arc and Chord Definitions

• There are two standard degree of curve definitions: arc


and chord
• By arc definition, the degree of curve is the angle
subtended by a 100 foot arc – it is also the change in
azimuth of a vehicle after traveling a 100 foot arc distance
• By chord definition, the degree of curve is the angle
subtended by a 100 foot chord
Arc and Chord Diagrams
Example – Compute R given D
A horizontal circular curve has a degree of curve of 4° 30’.
Compute the radius of this curve.
𝐷 100
=
360 ° 2 𝜋 𝑅

36000 18000 100


𝑅= = 𝑅= 𝑟 Dr = D in radians
2𝜋 𝐷 𝜋𝐷 𝐷

18000
𝑅= =1273.24 ′
𝜋 4.5°
Example – Compute D given R
A horizontal circular curve has a radius of 3000.00’.
Compute the degree of curve for this curve.

18000
𝐷=
𝜋𝑅

18000 ′
𝐷= =1.90986 °=1 ° 54 35
𝜋 3000
Parts of a Circular Curve
I = Intersection angle (Δ) R = Radius
PI = Point of Intersection T = Tangent distance
PC = Point of Curvature LC = Long chord
PT = Point of Tangency M = Middle ordinate
D = Degree of curve E = External distance

POC = Point on curve


L = Length of curve (not shown) POT = Point on tangent
Curve Formulas
* I
L RI r 100'
D
18000' 5729.58'
R 
D D
I
* T R tan 
 2
I
* LC 2 R sin  
 2
 1 
E R   1
 cos( I / 2) 
Since “I” could be negative,
you should take the absolute   I 
M R 1  cos  
value of “I” in the starred (*)  2 

formulas
Stationing

• Review: Stationing is a method of designating position along


a route – also, the route is usually staked at the full stations
• It is designated by the number of full stations (100 foot
pieces), plus an additional amount that is < 100.00’
• For example: 45 + 27.09 (This is a distance of 4527.09 ft
along the route)
• This is merely a designation – do not use the “plus” key on
your calculator to add these numbers
Circular Curve Stationing
• When routes are designed, typically a rough design is obtained
by a set of tangent (straight) lines with no curves.
• This gives a provisional stationing
• Inserting curves requires stationing calculations in order for
the length along the route to proceed along the curves
• There are two formulas to follow

PC PI  T
PT PC  L
Circular Curve Calculations

• In addition to computing stationing, there are many other


calculations associated with circular curves
• Automated design software makes these calculations for you
(of course the programmer needed to know the formulas)
• These are classic problems for licensing exams
Example 24.1
Given a horizontal circular curve with I = 8o24’, the PI station is 64 + 27.46, and
the radius is 2864.79 ft. Compute the PC, PT stationing and all full stations
along the curve, the degree of curve (arc def.), the middle ordinate, and the
external distance.

Solution: We can compute the last 3 items by formulas

18000 5729.58
D  200'00"
R 2864.79

 1   1 
E R   1 2864.79  
 1 7.71'
 cos( I / 2)   cos(8 24' / 2) 

 I
     8 
24'  
M R 1  cos   2864.79 1  cos   7.69'
  2    2 
Example 24.1 – Continued
Next, we compute T and L:

I  8 24' 
T R tan   2864.79 tan   210.38'
 2  2 

L RI r 2864.79 0.146608 420.00'

Now compute stationing for the PC and PT:

PC PI  T (64  27.46)  (2  10.38) 62  17.08


PT PC  L (62  17.08)  (4  20.00) 66  37.08
Example 24.1 – Continued
Next, we compute full stations along the curve:

64+00.00

.00
63+ 0

65+00

0
0.0
0.00

+0
66

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